Religion in Krakozhia
' Religion in Krakozhia' is dominated by Christianity, with 78.51% professing to be followers of a range of Christian denominations (primarily Roman Catholic), although other religions also have a presence in the country. The government of Krakozhia officially espouses state secularism with freedom of religion being enshrined in the constitution. Nevertheless, the ruling Krakozhian Workers' Party has historically led various anti-religious campaigns. Since the Revitalisation however, religious organisations have been granted more autonomy and a greater say in social affairs, particularly the Catholic Church since the signing of the Primate Accords. Demographics of religion in Krakozhia vary greatly by region, and in general the eastern regions formerly comprising the Krakozhian Commonwealth are majority Catholic with the western regions formerly part of the Pan-Krakozhian Confederation having an unaffiliated plurality with followers of Orthodoxy being the largest religious community in these areas. History Religions Christianity Catholicism Krakozhia is a Catholic majority country with over 53.2 million citizens (or 69.43% of the population) professing the Catholic faith. However, the Catholic population is not evenly distributed and constitute a minority in the western areas of Krakozhia which formerly made up the Pan-Krakozhian Confederation, where followers of the Krakozhian Orthodox Church are the largest religious community (although even there they are outnumbered by those unaffiliated with any religion). Catholicism entered Krakozhia through Slavic immigrants from Poland and Czechoslovakia fleeing conditions in Russia, Germany, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, primarily centred in the western regions of Russian Krakozhia. With the withdrawal of the Russian Empire from Krakozhia in 1867, the fate of Catholics in the east and west of Krakozhia would take vastly different turns. In the Krakozhian Commonwealth where Catholics made up the majority, the situation improved for them. In Kolochovo, the dominant state of the the Pan-Krakozhian Confederation, however, Catholics were actively discriminated against, although such a policy ended by 1890 due to protests from both the papacy and citizens in the PKC. Following the communist coup on the 23rd August 1947, the Catholic Church found itself in an uncomfortable position. In an attempt to normalise relations between the Catholic Church and the state, the State-Church Agreement was signed in 1950. Beginning in 1972 a nine-year novena known as the Great Novena of Krakozhia was held in preparation for the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Baptism of Krakozhia. The real watershed for Krakozhian State-Catholic relations came with the signing of the Primate Accords in 1993 following the 1993 Krakozhia bombings that struck Varchevo, Dubov, and Motansk. Orthodox The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second-largest religious community in Krakozhia with some 7.08 million followers (around 9.23% of the population). Members of the Krakozhian Orthodox Church do not make up a majority anywhere in the country although they are far more prevalent in the territories formerly comprising the Pan-Krakozhian Confederation. Nevertheless they are still outnumbered by the irreligious in these areas. Followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Krakozhia fall under the jurisdiction of the Krakozhian Orthodox Church, an autocephalous church originally established as an autonomous church under the Russian Orthodox Church but which proclaimed independence in 1917, a move not recognised by the Moscow Patriarchate until 1949. Other denominations Islam The Muslim community in Krakozhia is small, numbering just a little over than 130,000 people (0.17%) and mostly comprised of either immigrants from Tabi'atstan or small groups near the border with Muzaffaridistan. As such, the vast majority of Muslims in Krakozhia are Shiites. Judaism In the modern day Jews are a minority religious community in Krakozhia, comprising only 15,400 people. Historically the Jewish population was much larger, with many Jews migrating to Krakozhia shortly after the country was colonised by the Russian Empire to escape the pogroms and discriminatory policies that were present in the Russian metropole. Following the Russian exit from colonial possessions in Krakozhia, the situation of Jews improved greatly with legal barriers against them being lifted across Krakozhia and Jews becoming over-represented in white-collar professions and academia. By the 1930s however the increasingly repressive and right-wing government of the Pan-Krakozhian Confederation began significantly cracking down on its Jewish population, signifying a return to Russian colonial traditions. Following the rise of the socialist government and the institution of a new constitution in 1947, discrimination on the basis of faith was banned in Krakozhia. Nevertheless, many of the remaining Jews in the country opted to emigrate, a trend that only increased until the political thaw beginning in 1956. By that time however, the Jewish population in Krakozhia had been reduced to a tiny fraction of its pre-war levels. Other religions Buddhism Buddhists comprise a small minority in Krakozhia overwhelmingly comprised of ethnically Vietnamese immigrants. Ethnically Krakozhian Buddhists also exist but in extremely small numbers and are generally seen in Krakozhian society as oddities. Neopaganism The majority of neopagans in Krakozhia are followers of the Rodnoverstvo Association, a denomination of Slavic Native Faith. Neopagans make up such a small percentage of the population as to be considered nearly insignificant by the Krakozhian government, numbering an estimated 5,100 adherents. Nevertheless, Native Faith organisations often find themselves under the surveillance of the State Security Service for perceived associations with far-right radicalism. Irreligion, atheists, and agnostics Persons unaffiliated with any religion make up the second-largest group in Krakozhia at 20.04% of the population (around 15.4 million people), outnumbering followers of the Krakozhian Orthodox Church but falling far behind the number of Catholics in the country. Nevertheless, irreligious people form a plurality in the western areas of Krakozhia historically part of the Pan-Krakozhian Confederation. Anti-religious sentiment See also *Ethnic groups in Krakozhia Category:Krakozhia Category:Demographics of Krakozhia Category:Religion in Krakozhia